FamilySearch Indexing: US—1940 Federal Census, Overview

Beginning in 1790, a federal census has been taken in the United States at the beginning of each decade. Census records are released to the public 72 years after the census was taken. The 1940 U.S. Federal Census, released this year, is the largest and most comprehensive collection available containing information about those who were living in the United States at the time. The 1940 census included standard questions about the names, races, ages, and birthplaces of respondents and the people in their households. It also included additional questions about education, income and occupation, and where people lived five years before the census was taken.